Tuesday 29 May 2018

Session 182 - The Gang Ruins a Perfectly Good Dinner Party

Finally getting this out after that loong weekend!
This session featured many courtesans, a most disastrous dinner party, litres of blood, and very large bags of fantasy cocaine.

POWERLAD punches one zombie.
Sir Robyn gets his kids hooked on drugs.
Carrie Meleste brings the party.
Ratimir tries his best to save a life.
Styx gets a new ride.
Dumbledorris is torn a new one.

A big note:
See the attached story from Charles to find out what Galaxy's been up to in the mean time! It's great!

And we have the next excerpt from a POWERLAD novel which is my favourite gimmick of the moment.
 
"I can use my plant powers to make all sorts of things grow," said Sylvia, her leaves flushing an autumnal crimson, "In fact, there seems to be a tree growing in your trousers right now, POWERLAD."POWERLAD reached out and took Sylvia by the branch "That's no tree."- From POWERLAD: In the Wings of the Dragon


See you tonight!



Session 182 - The Gang Ruins a Perfectly Good Dinner Party

Campaign Date:
Tuesday, 24 March, 1601
Moon Phase: First Quarter
Zodiac: Pisces

New Characters:
- Dumbledorris, an outlaw wizard with a "micro dragon" (aka iguana) familiar.
- Dumbledorris 2.0... you'll see.

New Backstory:
- Carrie Meleste knew Styx in the past. Seeing him torture his goblin minions turned her off torture forever, starting her on the path to being a dominatrix instead of a torturer and saving her soul. (+2 to Saves vs Chaos when Styx is around)
- Styx lost an argument with Carrie over a choice he made - whether it was necessary to torture a prisoner quite that much. (When Styx fails a save, Carrie automatically passes her next save)

Treasure and Equipment:
Total: 0 exp

Enemies Defeated:
- A single solitary zombie (10 exp)
Total: 10 exp

Exploration:
- First party to enter the the Eye-Tower of Japhet and Hirsch (300 exp)
Total: 300 exp

Events:
--- A few days ago
- Sir Robyn is buying a skull mask. It's a Death Day. With a mask on, he'll legally be a skeleton. (50 exp)
- Suddenly there is a blaring from the huge angel constructs in the sky. A rising-falling wail like an air raid siren. The angels are speaking, and only Sir Robyn knows what they're saying! (50 exp)
- "-- Impact One Imminent --" is all they say, repeating it and relaying it across the country. (50 exp)
- Later that day, when whatever northern event happens to create the great booming and gale-force winds and the blood red glow in the evening sky, the sirens wind down. (50 exp)
- There's a brief period of deep bass singing before they go quiet again. "-- REPORT: Strike on target. Partial Damage to Target. Unexpected Outcome - Prophecy Confirmed. Trumpet Sounded. REQUEST: Confirm Second Strike. --" (50 exp)
--- Return to the library
- The Library of Moondin, morning, Bertha and Carrie Meleste are dealing with Sir Robyn in a skull mask who still thinks it's Death Day and he's legally a skeleton.


- POWERLAD and Styx arrive from their recent adventures, carrying the drug demon Julgoor's magic drug lamp and stories of a crystal dragon. (50 exp)
- Julgoor is extremely grateful! He really does owe them a favour. Sir Robyn, talked down from skeleton hijinks, realises that this is a business opportunity! (50 exp)
- He asks Julgoor if he wants to get in on Blood Honey Healing 4 U, the rapid drug delivery and takeaway service that he runs. Julgoor jumps at the opportunity! What a perfect fit! (50 exp)
- Styx sends his goblin minions to get more dragon powers. They each listen to sermons. One gains the Eyes of Ninhursag - heartbeat vision - while the other gains the Eyes of Ereshkigal - entropy vision. Weird stuff. (50 exp)
--- To boat race or not to boat race
- POWERLAD lets everyone know that he's organised the dinner party with the conjoined demons Japhet & Hirsch for this evening, so maybe they spend the day at the boat race? (50 exp)
- The others agree, so they head for the start line. The mood in the town is fairly subdued, everyone's talking about the fucking CRYSTAL DRAGON that rampaged through town yesterday. Were the angels warning them about it?! Opinions differ. (50 exp)
- They reach the gazebo that marks the starting line of the boat race, and Sir Robyn realises that they'll lose all their spells today if they join in. Possibly unwise since it's a demon's dinner party later. (50 exp)
- They decide not to race today in the end. The party cheers on the teams then departs. Sir Robyn laments that he can't use his Familiars to rig the race without drawing the demons' ire. (50 exp)
--- A perfectly lovely dinner party
- That evening, at the appointed time, the party heads towards the North Tower where Japhet & Hirsch live. (50 exp)
- On the way, Carrie Meleste picks up some exotic fruits and some exotic courtesans. She doesn't know what the demons will be into so she brings along a woman, a man, and an androgyne to cover all bases. (50 exp)
- The party arrive at the place to find a tall octagonal tower wreathed in purple fog. On every wall on every story, a large carved stone eye peers out. This isn't the North Tower that used to be here... (50 exp)


- There is a channel through the fog leading through the streets to the front doors. Very helpful. One of the doors is golden, the other pearlescent. Naturally. (50 exp)
- The doors are opened by some tall tall birds. Coppery legs, steely beaks, a feathered body. They look like storks or, perhaps, ibises. (50 exp)



- "Ahh, you made it! Come in!" says Japhet. They're seated on a wide throne at one end of a long banquet table. More of the huge birds wait at attention at a drinks table. Sir Robyn tells his scared spider kids that sometimes birds are nice. (50 exp)


- Seeing that there are kids in attendance, Japhet & Hirsch clap their hands and make the birds bring out a kids table. Very civilised. (50 exp)
- Ratimir attempts to exhort the huge birds into revolutionary fervour... and draws only withering glares. (50 exp)
- Nobody has sat down yet. Hirsch is utterly disgusted at the party's behaviour, and at POWERLAD for bringing the fucking rabble in here. He grumbles as much before Japhet hushes him. (50 exp)
- Carrie Meleste to the rescue! She sends forth her high class courtesans with their baskets of exotic fruits, who lie on the table and garnish themselves. What a show! How delightful! (50 exp)
- Carrie's weird slaves form a chair for her... and their weird sense of pride at their degradation makes Hirsch happy. A potent melange of lust and pride... a very strange texture but not unpleasant. He's mollified. (50 exp)
- With everyone settled down, POWERLAD sits at the head of the table and everyone else seats themselves. The spider kids and the rats swarm at the kids table. The birds serve the wine from their beaks. Everything finally feels genteel. (50 exp)
--- Wait who invited that chick!?
- New player Suzanne shows up, promptly makes a wizard, and promptly makes a mess of things. Dumbledorris is a wizard with an iguana familiar. She's snuck into the party disguised as one of the servants. Yes, she's inside one of the big birds, piloting it as a giant puppet. It's a wonder nobody's noticed yet. (50 exp)
- Dumbledorris totters across to the stairs, unnoticed by the diners, and heads up to the first floor. Sneaky sneaky. (50 exp)
- The room above has a big floating bluebottle jellyfish drifting about, bobbing against the ceiling, trailing blue tendrils. Dumbledorris just kinda stands there as it gets closer. The tentacles wrap around the body of the fake bird, but she's alright inside. (50 exp)





- She uses a periscope to look around and sees a dude in eye-themed armour peering around a doorway. Maybe she'll go see him! (50 exp)
- She drops out of the bird costume's body, rolls across the gap and... rolls right into a whole load of hanging tentacles. The pain is intense, her vision blurs as she begins to black out. Her last view is a big fuckin' rat scampering towards her... (50 exp)
--- Meanwhile, downstairs
- While Dumbledorris has a bad time upstairs, Carrie Meleste's dancers vacate the table and dance against the wall as the main course is served - a single giant crab garnished with rare spices and rich buttery sauce. (50 exp) 
- Everyone else is chatting to the demons Japhet & Hirsch. Or rather, chatting to Japhet. Hirsch is somewhat aloof, even though the dinner party's back on. (50 exp)
- Japhet reveals that they're bored with the Boat Race. They set it up, but there's some sort of scheme afoot that the pair aren't privy to. Hirsch especially feels irritated at being left out. (50 exp)
- They have a copy of the original contract that allowed them into the city. Sir Robyn's all over it. Basically, if someone can discover that there's been a breach of contract in a court of law, Japhet & Hirsch will be free to leave this dumb city. (50 exp)
- They also know where the other demon "Flower Liches" are living. All of them took a place to stay for the duration of this interminable Boat Festival. They're all over the town but Japhet can give directions. (50 exp)
- Asked why they're running the Boat Festival at all, Japhet says that the vampire overlord of the Undead wanted to get the city out of the way so he could follow through on his plan to kill all humans, raise them all as undead, and save the world. (50 exp)
- There is a muffled thump from above and Ratimir's ears prick up! He's up the stairs before anyone can stop him! Hirsch mutters something horrid about rat people and is shushed by Japhet. (50 exp)
--- Egads!
- Ratimir comes back down the stairs, dragging the limp body of Dumbledorris. She's in a bad way, but luckily Sir Robyn's spider kids have some knowledge of First Aid! (50 exp)
- They attempt to stitch up Dumbledorris' wounds and... fail horrendously. One of them manages to tear open an artery, causing a bright red spray of blood to geyser gloriously across the walls, floor and table! (50 exp)



- Hirsch is fucking livid. Japhet is aghast. "That's it! Dinner party is cancelled! Get OUT get OUT!!!" (50 exp) 



- From the pile of blood and guts, stitched together by the webs of demon spiders... a new being is forming. A parody of a human form, absorbing all the blood into it... Dumbledorris 2.0! (50 exp)
- Carrie Meleste pulls the angry demons into line by implying that maybe they're not being good hosts now that something's gone wrong... (50 exp)
- Nevertheless, the dinner's off. Sir Robyn's spiders box up the leftovers, Hirsch glaring at the rudeness, while the new Inheritor slurps up her own blood. (50 exp)
- This is all threatening to blow up again. Hirsch can't stop talking about the RUDENESS and how this was meant to be a NICE DINNER and Japhet is HYPERVENTILATING and the party leaves before they completely blow their top, bundling the confused newborn Inheritor with them! (50 exp)
--- The goblin uber
- Outside, quite conveniently, Styx has shown up on his new rune-powered goblin hovercraft! That's where he's been this whole time! (50 exp)




- Everyone's gets on, except for Sir Robyn who has to walk. As they leave, there are shouts of shock as whatever Dumbledorris' iguana familiar turned into is discovered. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD, seeing Sir Robyn left behind because Styx is being a dick to him, agrees to fly him home.
- They all end up back at Blood Honey Healing 4 U. Sir Robyn wants to keep the party going and brings out a bunch of Notcoke! Party time! (50 exp)
- Styx decides to try and build some sort of light-shooting cannon instead. He asks around for whether anyone's got an angel eye? They're spherical, right? (50 exp)
- Everybody else is ON COKE and decide it is VERY IMPORTANT that they all go FIND AN ANGEL and HUNT IT DOWN! (50 exp)
--- Not an angel
- Our coked up heroes leave the safety of the town's walls. The thick evening Corpse Fog is cloying. In the distance, a god beam zaps down from the sky above. No angels as far as they can tell but... (50 exp)
- Oh is that the sound of a zombie!? BETTER KILL IT! The undead fiend stumbles from the bushes and is faced by POWERLAD, who punches himself in the face! Bummer! (50 exp)
- Rat swarms and spider swarms fail to stop it as it blunders along. Styx and Dumbledorris2 team attack it and... similarly fail to make a dent. It's embarrassing. (50 exp)
- Finally POWERLAD gets his head in the game and wrecks it with a Magic Missile Punch. Phew! (50 exp)
- The Notcoke's wearing off so the gang head back into the city. What an adventure this has been! Unfortunately several people in the party find they've developed a taste for that good white powder... (50 exp)
Total: 2850 exp

Misc:
- Absolutely Disgusting bonus (50 exp)
- Ace Attorney bonus (50 exp)
- Antagonist Appeaser bonus (50 exp)
- Best of Intentions bonus (50 exp)
- Better Part of Valour bonus (50 exp)
- Brutal Kill bonus (50 exp)
- Diplomancy bonus (50 exp)
- Enmity Inciter bonus (50 exp)
- High as Fuck bonus (50 exp)
- Infamy bonus (50 exp)
- Ludicrous Gore bonus (50 exp)
- Mad Inventor bonus (50 exp)
- Master of Disguise bonus (50 exp)
- Medical Malpractice bonus (50 exp)
- Pundemonium bonus (50 exp)
- Ridiculously Bad Rolling bonus (50 exp)
- Split the Party bonus (50 exp)
- Tentacle Molestation bonus (50 exp)
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong bonus (50 exp)
- Why Did You Say That bonus (50 exp)
Total: 1000 exp

Party Roles and Individual Exp:
- Remembrancer (Carter / Styx - 100 exp)
- Caller (Kitty / POWERLAD - 100 exp)
- Mapper (Carter / Styx - 100 exp)
- Guard (Kitty / POWERLAD - 100 exp)
- Treasurer (Timothy / Sir Robyn - 100 exp)
- Tracker (Timothy / Sir Robyn - 100 exp)
- Art Attack bonus (Carter, Timothy - 100 exp ea.)
- Fiction Fanatic bonus (Kitty, Charles - 100 exp)
- Chippo Man bonus (Carter*2 - 100 exp ea.)
- Hummous Hero bonus (Andy - 100 exp)
- Charcuterie Champion bonus (Andy - 500 exp)
- JÜGBRINGYR bonus (Andy, Timothy, Kitty - 500 exp ea.)
- An extra bonus for that fucking rad rune board thing for Carter (Carter - 500 exp)
- Addictive bonus (POWERLAD, spider kids - 100 exp ea.)
- Death's Witness bonus (pretty much everyone - 100 exp)
- An Hero bonus (Dumbledorris - 200 exp)
- Died in your First Session bonus (Dumbledorris - 200 exp)
- Amusing Death bonus (Dumbledorris - 500 exp)
- Teamkilled bonus (Dumbledorris - 500 exp)

Active Businesses:
- Honey Healing. Safe. 1084sp. (Bertha)
- Knickers Gloves Bodices. Risky. 1020sp. (Ratimir)
- Blood Honey 4 U. Safe. 10410sp. (Sir Robyn)

Rumours:

Death Toll and Injuries:
- Dumbledorris, accidentally ripped open by friendly spiders who were just trying to help.

Exp Totals:
- Kitty / High Priest POWERLAD!, Level 7 Muscle Wizard: 108767 (Level up at 144000)-- Devotee of Ninhursag, Bond 9 (-45% exp)
- Timothy / Sir Robyn, Level 6 Magic-User: 58937 (Level up at 72000)
--- Spider Squad, Level 1 Spider Extras: 1257 (Level up at 1500) 
- Andy / Carrie Meleste, Level 6 Termaxian Cleric: 49864 (Level up at 56000) 
--- 4 Henchmen Undeserving of Names, Level 0 Bootlickers
- Carter / Styx, Level 5 Goblin: 26344 (Level up at 32000)--- Styx's minions, Level 0 Goblin Buddies
- James / Ratimir, Level 6 Ratman: 25838 (Level up at 48000)
 
- Susan / Dumbledorris, Level 1 Magic User
*DECEASED*
- Susan / Dumbledorris2, Level 1 Inheritor: 2040 (Level up at 2250)

Absent or Retired:
- Charles / Galaxy Johnson, Level 6 Elf (Alpdrucke): 48409 (Level up at 96000)
- Ollie / Synthia, Level 5 Inheritor: 21687 (Level up at 36000)-- Devotee of Ninhursag, Bond 2 (-10% exp)
- Elias / Raivo, Level 1 Barbarian: 938 (Level up at 2000) 
- Tom / Hacker's Halberdiers, Level 3 Extras: 5598 (Level up at 6000)
- Andrea / Marjorie, Level 1 Halfling: 1111 (Level up at 2000)
- Fraser / 
Mori, Level 5 Elf (Worriganger): 24025 (Level up at 48000) 
- Issy / Sturdy,
 Level 2 Dwarf: 3596 (Level up at 4400)  
The Dwarfs
--- Randy, Level 4 Hench-Dwarf: 9884 (Level up at 17600)--- Gav, Level 0 Inclusion 
- Tom / Clarence Eclair, Level 3 Specialist: 3040 (Level up at 6000)
- Tom / Aces Fontaine, Level 1 Specialist: 869 (Level up at 1500)
- Kitty / Bertha, Level 4 Necromancer: 9931 (Level up at 18000)
- Imran / Friar, Level 1 Magic User: 1040 (Level up at 2250)
- Yuri / Bjorn Gunnerson, Level 2 Barbarian: 2278 (Level up at 4000)
- Sunni / Larry's Legends, Level 1 Extras: 758 (Level up at 1500)
- Fraser / Tippin, Level 1 Ratman: 1458 (Level up at 1500)
- Charles / Zena, Level 6 Fighter: 41566 (Level up at 64000)
- Tom / Meteor Power Shower, Level 2 Barbarian: 3061 (Level up at 4000)
- Nix's Retainer
--- Huz, Level 0 Hireling
- Tom / Spicy Mac, Level 2 Halfling: 3457 (Level up at 4000)
- Eleanor / Mugg, Level 2 Fighter: 2357 (Level up at 4000)
- Kyle / Gimlass the Brave, Level 2 Dwarf: 2257 (Level up at 4400)
- Amar / Amar's Cleric, Level 1 Cleric: 1413 (Level up at 1750)
- Henry / Henry's Next Character: +2084 exp
- Ollie / Tremendo Picante, Level 2 Ratman: 2654 (Level up at 3000)
- James / Raaf van Held, Level 4 Fighter: 14838 (Level up at 16000)
- Eglė / Bob, Level 1 Dwarf: 434 (Level up at 2200)
- Will / Cecil Fulbright, Level 5 Cleric (Termaxian): 15063 (Level up at 28000)


- James / William Fox-Shitt, Level 3 Cleric (Zeanist): 4571 (Level up at 7000)

Friday 18 May 2018

Session 181 - Crystal Apotheosis

With just two players due to a variety of simultaneous holidays, it was a slimmed down action team of POWERLAD and new character Styx the Goblin this session.

Highlights:
- Styx joins the game!
- The second trumpet sounds, and some terrible distant event lights up the evening sky!
- POWERLAD gets his hands on Isen Heisenberg's latest, and now final, omnipoison! He says it loses no potency when diluted, so be careful!
- Christina Breaker transforms into a dragon, rampages across Moondin, and murders everyone she can find in the junkie caves!
- Julgoor the Drug Demon, and his magic lamp full of drugs, are saved from the subterranean chaos!


Kitty continues to give us the goods:
"I feel strangely attracted to you POWERLAD," Bertha said, drawing helplessly closer to the winged blue man before her. Suddenly the door burst open. POWERLAD stood framed in the entryway."Wait, POWERLAD?" Bertha cried in confusion, "But he's-""He's not POWERLAD!" said the newcomer, "Well, I mean, he is, but he's not your POWERLAD. Can't you feel his gravitational pull? He's a follower of Ereshkigal! Whereas I-"Bertha glanced down, "Chose Ninhursag's Size aspect, I see."
From POWERLAD: Double Fisting


This is another real long recap, so here goes - 



Session 181 - Crystal Apotheosis

Campaign Date:
Friday, 20 March, 1601
Moon Phase: First Quarter
Zodiac: Pisces

New Characters:
- Styx, a Goblin from the Drudge Wastes with an entourage of Goblin minions on a mission to meet all the Apocalypse Dragons...

New Backstory:
- Styx killed someone in his youth, just because he liked the guy's cloak. (Once per session, mark an enemy to get +2 to your crit range against it)

Treasure and Equipment:
- A litre of Isen Heisenberg's final omnipoison
- Julgoor's drug lamp (1000 exp)
- Cheese
Total: 1000 exp

Enemies Defeated:
Total: 0 exp

Exploration:
- 2 Random Encounters (100 exp)
Total: 100 exp

Events:
- It's 4am on We're on a time limit. Christina Breaker can only hold off her apotheosis for so long. All POWERLAD's friends are asleep or on holiday or something. He's going to have to go it alone... (50 exp)
- He hears a noise, and turns to see a creepy child-sized figure shrouded in a cloak, yellow eyes peering from beneath the hood, flanked by four more! (50 exp)



- Roll for initiati- oh wait, they know who he is! The goblin Styx, and his minions Stones, Break, Bones and Hurt, introduce themselves. They've heard great things about POWERLAD... and one of his minions is very interested in joining Ninhursag's cult. (50 exp)
- "You've no idea how few people ask me that!" says POWERLAD, and baptises one of the minions with an Earth rune drawn in dirt on its forehead. (50 exp)
- There is a strange and awful sound outside, echoing across the land. A haunting rising-falling moan, a banshee's wail like a thousand distant mechanical wolves. It sounds like an air raid siren. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD dashes outside to investigate. The sound is emerging from the huge floating angels in the sky, their six great petals spinning fitfully, dawn light glimmering from their metal hulls. (50 exp)
- He spreads his wings and surges into the air, heading for the nearest church to see if they've got any idea what's going on. (50 exp)
--- Confused Clergy
- POWERLAD flies over the town, seeing many others standing outside their homes gawping and pointing upwards. He lands at a nearby church, the priest and a few underlings are already outside speculating at this new omen. (50 exp)
- They're stoked to see the famous POWERLAD here at their little church and get him to sign a prayer book, but no the priest doesn't know what it means. (50 exp)
- It could be the Second Trumpet of Revelations, that's his theory anyway. Luckily we're nobody near the ocean I guess! (50 exp)
--- Andromeda meets some goblins
- Meanwhile, Andromeda has been woken by the siren dirge of the angels. She's still chained to her bed, and there's a shuffling sound... with the Eyes of Ereshkigal she sees Styx and his goblins approaching! Oh god what is that! (50 exp)
- Styx creepily explains that he wants her to initiate one of his goblins into the Cult of Ereshkigal, in exchange he'll unlock her shackles. (50 exp)
- Despite her misgivings and shaken faith in Ereshkigal's cult, she agrees. Styx jimmies the lock with his knife, and she draws the Mass Rune on a goblin's forehead. Two down for Styx! (50 exp)
- She suddenly has second thoughts, maybe POWERLAD would be disappointed if he found she'd broken out of her chains? Styx helps artfully rearrange the chains so it looks like she's still bound. (50 exp)
--- POWERLAD returns
- POWERLAD glides back towards the library and sees a bizarre sight - people are running around in the streets in skull masks making mischief, drinking, fighting and publically fornicating. He swoops down to ask what's going on. (50 exp)



- An annoyed lady who had her purse scattered on the ground by one of the masked people explains that it's another Death Day. She can't keep up with all these dumb festivals. Today, anyone wearing a skull mask is legally a skeleton. (50 exp)
- There are a bunch of "skeletons" in the square out the front of the library. Bertha is locking up the library like it's the Purge. They still haven't managed to reorganise all the shelves after pranksters rearranged the books last time. (50 exp)
- It's time to head over to Christina. Since POWERLAD can only fly so many people, Styx gives a couple of goblins the day off.  He notices that one of his goblins has already got a skull mask and is pretending to not take orders from him. (50 exp)
- Styx and the remaining goblins, Stone and Hurt, all grab onto POWERLAD who flaps his mighty wings and flies them off to see Christina Breaker. On the way, they see a bunch of Denialists proclaiming THE END IS NIGH! (50 exp)
- I mean, they're not wrong. POWERLAD tells them that maybe they should consider joining Ninhursag so they can help stop the end of the world? Some of them seem willing. They fly on. (50 exp)
--- A Quick Visit to Christina
- They land at Christina's hideout. POWERLAD goes in alone, but one of Styx's goblins sneaks in behind him. (50 exp)
- Inside, Christina's body has turned entirely to crystal. The huge angular crystalline dragon head above her body opens its mouth, and Christina's voice echoes out in crystal harmonies. (50 exp)
- "I can't hold it much longer, POWERLAD", she says, "tell me where I can find the thing that killed Magnus". (50 exp)
- POWERLAD tries to persuade her to create a crystal spear into the heart of the planet with her power, which she says is impossible. She is to become an avatar of crystal, formed in Ninhursag's image. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD begs her to hold on for a bit longer. It's taking all her effort to hold the transformation back, but she agrees. (50 exp)
--- 
Poison Get!
- POWERLAD meets back up with Styx outside. The plan is to direct Christina at Arach-Nacha, but first maybe they grab some of whatever poison he was working on so it's not wasted? (50 exp)
- He grabs Styx and his minions and wings off towards the Biohazard Zone and the mine. Below, flopping cancerous tentacle balls roll along. Some climb onto a roof to attack, but POWERLAD's safe on his wings. (50 exp)
- They drop down into the hole of the false mine and head in. POWERLAD's known down here now, so they quickly head through to the VIP rooms. (50 exp)
- Isen Heisenberg turns in surprise when they walk in. Arach-Nacha is nowhere to be seen. (50 exp)
- "How's it going, Isen?" says POWERLAD... and Isen replies in Arach-Nacha's voice! "uh heh hi good yes just doing experiments and things. Arach-Nacha's just popped out to the shops he he". She fools nobody. (50 exp)
- She gives up, the four pupils in Isen's eyes contract back into a single pupil. Isen's back in control! He tells POWERLAD that his poison experiments have been successful... too successful. (50 exp)
- This new poison dilutes rapidly through liquids without losing any potency. It would destroy Shub-Niggurath... but at what cost? He's already triggered one apocalyptic event, he can't have another on his conscience! (50 exp)
- POWERLAD asks for a sample, and Isen gives him a bottle of it on the condition that he's very careful with it. Isen seems relieved that the burden of using this poison isn't on him any more. (50 exp)
- On the way out, there's a waft of incense as Julgoor the Drug Demon pokes his gold mask around the door of his room. "POWERLAD! I thought I heard your voice!" he says. (50 exp)
- He's disgusted by the goblin company that POWERLAD keeps, but does call in a Favour - find out the name and weaknesses of the rival Greed Demon above in Moondin. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD says he will. On the way out, Styx wonders where the underground river leads. POWERLAD convinces him to send a goblin minion in to investigate... and the minion is devoured by a big frog head. Lol. (50 exp)
--- 
Crystal Apotheosis
- They reach the surface in good time and fly off to see Christina Breaker... for the last time. (50 exp)
- They enter the house and find that she has become a glowing silhouette inside a heart of solid crystal. The dragon head is connected to long coils, half-formed claws clutch the floor. The whole place encased in a fractal webwork, a coccoon of crystal wings. (50 exp)
- They talk for a bit, Styx asking about the other dragons of which she knows little. She tells them that she will not be able to maintain her own mind for long once she lets go, so they need to make this quick. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD gives her the directions she seeks to Arach-Nacha in the underground complex and Christina stops holding back... (50 exp)
- The glow inside the crystal heart surges forth, fractal patterns radiating forth to connect everything in the room, forming a chest, legs, arms, great claws. There is a shimmering ringing sound as the dragon head opens wide, Christina's voice yells out in an echoing roar! (50 exp)
- POWERLAD and Styx bolt for the exit as the house collapses behind them, revealing the massive form of Christina Breaker's draconic apotheosis! (50 exp)


- The dragon heads straight towards the Biohazard Zone and Arach-Nacha, following the instructions she was given. As she moves, she slams unheeding through anything in her way, every impact knocking free whirling fractal shards of sharp crystal that move with a life of their own. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD and Styx follow the trail of destruction from the air. The dragon reaches the magma moat and dives straight in. Skull-masked people flee before her! (50 exp)
- As she rampages through the Biohazard Zone, floppy cancer-tentacle spheres spin towards her to attack. Those behind her are shredded by the living shards she leaves in her wake, those in front devastated by blasts of crystalline breath. (50 exp)
- It's when she reaches the mine that she runs into problems - she's a bit too big to fit! Heyoooo. Christina's frustration can be heard echoing in the splintering crystal. (50 exp)
- With a crack and a shattering sound, she breaks through the tunnel entrance. Her outer layers smashing into swarms of the motile crystalline shard creatures as she breaks through. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD and Styx fire up Repel Crystal glyphs and follow. One forward, one behind, holding the crystal minions back in a great wave as they continue. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD's cheek burns at multiple points as his flower petal tattoo lights up. Julgoor's desperate voice telepathically enters his head - "POWERLAD get down here! Save me!" (50 exp)
- They pick up the pace. Luckily the sharp minions are super good at blending the rock grubs that drop from the ceiling, so no worries there! When they reach the entrance to the VIP rooms, they see the dragon's crystal tail blocking the way. (50 exp)
- The screams of Arach-Nacha and Isen Heisenberg can be heard, and there's no obvious way to get through... unless you're POWERLAD! He fires a Take Rock glyph and tears a hole into Julgoor's room. The demon staggers out inside a wave of sweet incense! (50 exp)
- Styx throws out some Repel Crystal rocks to some surviving junkies. Julgoor knows a way out - the elevator he uses for his drug supply! (50 exp)
- They dash in that direction, heading through a portcullis and a long corridor until the find a dead end with a winch-powered elevator. POWERLAD flies up the shaft carrying his charges, and they come out in a copse some distance from Moondin's walls. (50 exp)
--- Return to the Library
- Julgoor, in the cold light of day, doesn't look quite so impressive as he once did. His gold mask is flaking, his robes are threadbare. He doesn't seem to weigh much of anything really. He offers favours to POWERLAD and Styx if they can get his lamp full of drugs out of his room, but no rush. (50 exp)
- Flying back to the library, the siren wail of the angels continues. On the horizon, the great black dragon Ereshkigal can be seen moving east. It's currently in the rough direction of the Barrowmaze. (50 exp)
- Swooping over the walls, it's evident that the wildest skull mask wearers collapsed early on. Now it's mostly people having a good time. The boat race is on hold, likely due to the dragon that just smashed its way through the town. (50 exp)
- They land at the library. Japhet's already looking a bit better, the sheer latent greed coming off of Styx is enough to have repaired his threadbare robes. His gold mask is a little more shiny. (50 exp)
- Bertha and Andromeda answer the door when POWERLAD knocks and declares it's him. Bertha remarks on how he always seems to meet odd friends out in the world. (50 exp)
- It's been a really really long day. POWERLAD's been up for more than 24 hours. He's pooped, and has a POWERNAP with Bertha. (50 exp)
- Styx asks Julgoor questions about how to kill demons, and he deflects by expositing about how he really likes people and literally needs them to live. Plus of course, killing him means he's reborn with no memories in the river Lethe near Dwimmermount. He'd prefer not to. (50 exp)
--- Red sky at night
- At some point during the night, the angels' wailing stops abruptly. It's strange, the silence, after a while the song sort of faded into the background. (50 exp)
- People walk outside to see what's going on. There's a single distant boom that echoes across the sky and rattles windows. A bright flash of white to the north, then a deep fading red reflecting from the undersides of clouds and the hulls of the floating angels. (50 exp)
- Soon after the angels sing again, the deep booming of angelic binary ringing out across the land. Then they stop, and all is quiet once more. (50 exp)
--- Save the drugs!
- The next morning, POWERLAD wakes up and makes sure that Bertha is Bertha after that one scare... she is! Phew. (50 exp)
- Outside there are discarded skeleton masks on the streets. God beams seem to be bombarding the Biohazard Zone particularly heavily today, and the townspeople are staying close to doorways in case a stray beam decides to blast down near them. Yikes. (50 exp)
- They use Sir Robyn's Deliverachnid network to send a "webmail" (urgh) to Japhet & Hirsch, telling them that they'd love to come to dinner tonight. Then it's off to see if they can save Julgoor's drugs! (50 exp)
- Styx uses a Take Gravity rune to make him and his minions lighter so POWERLAD can carry them all. There is some speculation as to what this will actually do, but it does make everything in the area lighter so that's good! (50 exp)
- They land back in the copse outside the city. Styx lobs the Take Gravity rune away and there's a rush of wind and spacial distortion as it discharges and forms a momentary singularity. Maybe don't be close when that happens. (50 exp)
- They drop down the elevator shaft and discover a bunch of scared junkies at the bottom. They haven't been able to get out since the winch is up top, and they've already lost people to the dragon in the cavern! (50 exp)
- Styx sets a couple of goblins to operating the winch and helping the scared junkies out of there. Heroic! POWERLAD and Styx scout ahead with their lanterns, hearing the growling of a great beast. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD calls out - "Christina?...". There is no reply. With a dragon in the way, it's going to be hard to grab those drugs. (50 exp)
- They head back to the surface and concoct a plan - POWERLAD will use his runebending powers to dig out earth and rock, they'll dig down to where they estimate Julgoor's room to be, and use heartbeat vision as an early warning in case of dragon. (50 exp)
- This sets a worrying precedent for dungeoncrawling, but fuck it. Crawling along in a bubble of earth is slow and inaccurate, so I guess that's the risk/reward? (50 exp)
- They dig down and end up looking down from the ceiling of the great cavern. There is a ringing sound as the crystal dragon walks about. (50 exp)
- They change course and continue. Behind them, the snout of the dragon pokes into the hole they left, snuffed around, then withdraws. (50 exp)
- After a little while longer, they come out over the drug room! Hurrah! There are two survivors in here who are tremendously grateful for the assist. Also the drug lamp is obtained! Lamp get! (50 exp)
- POWERLAD looks inside and sees a vast space full of white powder that begins to shrink as soon as he looks inside. Weird but whatever. They grab it and dig their way back out, survivors in tow. (50 exp)
- The junkies have all been brought up when they reach the surface... but the last load got caught in a blast of the dragon's crystal breath. Shards of crystal grow from the corpses, they're very dead. (50 exp)
- The goblins are praised for saving these people! Hooray! The junkies are told to head towards Moondin, they'll be safe at the library. That underground complex belongs to the dragon now... long may it reign. (50 exp)
Total: 4050 exp

Misc:
- Diplomancy bonus (50 exp)
- Dramatic Escape bonus (50 exp)
- Fame bonus (50 exp)
- Long Deliberation bonus (50 exp)
- Noblebright bonus (50 exp)
- Mad Inventor bonus (50 exp)
- Pundemonium bonus (50 exp)
- Schindler's bonus (50 exp)
Total: 400 exp

Party Roles and Individual Exp:
- Remembrancer (Carter / Styx - 100 exp)
- Caller (Kitty / POWERLAD - 100 exp)
- Mapper (Carter / Styx - 100 exp)
- Guard (Kitty / POWERLAD - 100 exp)
- Treasurer (Carter / Styx - 100 exp)
- Art Attack bonus (Carter - 100 exp)
- Fiction Fanatic bonus (Kitty - 100 exp)
- Chippo Man bonus (Carter*2 - 100 exp ea.)
- JÜGBRINGYR bonus (Kitty - 500 exp ea,)

Active Businesses:
- Honey Healing. Safe. 1084sp. (Bertha)
- Knickers Gloves Bodices. Risky. 1020sp. (Ratimir)
- Blood Honey 4 U. Safe. 10410sp. (Sir Robyn)

Rumours:

Death Toll and Injuries:
- None of the players at least..

Exp Totals:
- Kitty / High Priest POWERLAD!, Level 7 Muscle Wizard: 107415 (Level up at 144000)-- Devotee of Ninhursag, Bond 9 (-45% exp)
- Carter / Styx, Level 5 Goblin: 24704 (Level up at 32000)--- Styx's minions, Level 0 Goblin Buddies

Absent or Retired:
- Timothy / Sir Robyn, Level 6 Magic-User: 57397 (Level up at 72000)
--- Spider Squad, Level 1 Spider Extras: 737 (Level up at 1500) 
- Andy / Carrie Meleste, Level 6 Termaxian Cleric: 48024 (Level up at 56000) 
--- 4 Henchmen Undeserving of Names, Level 0 Bootlickers 
- James / Ratimir, Level 6 Ratman: 25098 (Level up at 48000)
- Charles / Galaxy Johnson, Level 6 Elf (Alpdrucke): 48309 (Level up at 96000)
- Ollie / Synthia, Level 5 Inheritor: 21687 (Level up at 36000)-- Devotee of Ninhursag, Bond 2 (-10% exp)
- Elias / Raivo, Level 1 Barbarian: 938 (Level up at 2000) 
- Tom / Hacker's Halberdiers, Level 3 Extras: 5598 (Level up at 6000)
- Andrea / Marjorie, Level 1 Halfling: 1111 (Level up at 2000)
- Fraser / 
Mori, Level 5 Elf (Worriganger): 24025 (Level up at 48000) 
- Issy / Sturdy,
 Level 2 Dwarf: 3596 (Level up at 4400)  
The Dwarfs
--- Randy, Level 4 Hench-Dwarf: 9884 (Level up at 17600)--- Gav, Level 0 Inclusion 
- Tom / Clarence Eclair, Level 3 Specialist: 3040 (Level up at 6000)
- Tom / Aces Fontaine, Level 1 Specialist: 869 (Level up at 1500)
- Kitty / Bertha, Level 4 Necromancer: 9931 (Level up at 18000)
- Imran / Friar, Level 1 Magic User: 1040 (Level up at 2250)
- Yuri / Bjorn Gunnerson, Level 2 Barbarian: 2278 (Level up at 4000)
- Sunni / Larry's Legends, Level 1 Extras: 758 (Level up at 1500)
- Fraser / Tippin, Level 1 Ratman: 1458 (Level up at 1500)
- Charles / Zena, Level 6 Fighter: 41566 (Level up at 64000)
- Tom / Meteor Power Shower, Level 2 Barbarian: 3061 (Level up at 4000)
- Nix's Retainer
--- Huz, Level 0 Hireling
- Tom / Spicy Mac, Level 2 Halfling: 3457 (Level up at 4000)
- Eleanor / Mugg, Level 2 Fighter: 2357 (Level up at 4000)
- Kyle / Gimlass the Brave, Level 2 Dwarf: 2257 (Level up at 4400)
- Amar / Amar's Cleric, Level 1 Cleric: 1413 (Level up at 1750)
- Henry / Henry's Next Character: +2084 exp
- Ollie / Tremendo Picante, Level 2 Ratman: 2654 (Level up at 3000)
- James / Raaf van Held, Level 4 Fighter: 14838 (Level up at 16000)
- Eglė / Bob, Level 1 Dwarf: 434 (Level up at 2200)
- Will / Cecil Fulbright, Level 5 Cleric (Termaxian): 15063 (Level up at 28000)
- James / William Fox-Shitt, Level 3 Cleric (Zeanist): 4571 (Level up at 7000)

Wednesday 16 May 2018

Retrospective 18 - Mysteries of Moondin

Mysteries! Marriage! Murder!
It's been back to Moondin for the last little while, except this is a very different Moondin to the one the players once knew. It's a changed Moondin. An apocalyptic Moondin.

This last run of sessions have been mostly defined by a complex mess of clashing agendas and surprisingly compelling character stakes.

The various clashing agendas got so complex that I had to do a big ol' summary at the start of the latest recap. For players who've been there the whole time they've been able to follow along, but for poor old Andy who'd returned after a fairly long hiatus it was just crazy.


The talk of the town in Moondin is the Boat Race. A bunch of demons have shown up in town and begun running a dangerous race on the lava moat. Who are they? Why are they doing this? How? Big mysteries!
Under, around, and clashing with this mystery are a bunch of people with other agendas, all of whom clash against the players' plans and have consequences that ricochet out to mess up the plans of others.
Emergent complexity, yea!


The character stakes thing surprised me. Turns out love triangles are pretty fun!
The wildest thing is how much extra weight characters get in a long-running campaign, and how little individual weirdnesses stack up over time, until you realise how insane everything is when you step back and look at events as a whole.

So like -
POWERLAD's beloved wife Bertha came off the Carousing table this time last year. Last year! During that time she's grown from being an amusing drunken consequence to a character in her own right, occasional PC, and genuinely caring wife who acts as a home base wherever she sets up shop.
The love rival, Andromeda, is a copy of another player's character from another timeline. The original Andromeda died in POWERLAD's arms in a genuinely heartbreaking campaign moment. This "new" Andromeda fell for POWERLAD when he widowed her by killing her husband, an alternate timeline copy of himself.
Add to this a whole other situation where this alt-Andromeda got possessed by a spider demon queen who is (was) engaged to another character and...
Shit is so fucking wild, man. I love it.

I'm only just realising this now, but Arach-Nacha the lust demon spider queen had a whole story arc. From being stuffed in a bag and taken far away from her creepy dungeon lair, to taking over the body of a hot dragon lady, to getting married to a creepy alien Elf, to assisting a scientist who wanted to create the venom that would end the world, to dying in that scientist's creepy lair. 
She had a wild ride. 
And now she's dead because a crystal dragon ate her.
No wonder it's hard for Andy to catch up!


Another natural plot arc has been Sir Robyn. The spider queen implanted POWERLAD with eggs, later those eggs hatched into spiders, then Sir Robyn decided to take care of them.
Now he's the adoptive father of some shitty spider kids whose parents are around but don't care about them, assisted by his two raccoon familiars like some sort of gonzo fantasy sitcom.
I legitimately couldn't make this stuff up, it's all just grown up from a combo of random rolls, character decisions, and intra-group memes.


It's all emergent complexity. All wheels in wheels, plans clashing with plans, goals clashing with goals, and the situation is so precarious that it's dead easy for the PCs to knock the whole thing over!
It's perfect is what it is.


And that's not to mention the continued advancement of the Apocalypse with the blowing of the Second Trumpet, new player Carter turning up and being obsessed with runes, and all the zany gameplay centred around business merger between two players' businesses.
Man.


This also was a time of mild change for my house rules, most significantly in changing Sneak Attacks to Backstabs. I've gone into that elsewhere though.

And on a sombre note, Tom ragequit again and this time it might be permanent. He always wanted to go off and do his own thing, touch dangerous stuff with his bare hand, and be a hero who wasn't part of the team... so he died a lot. Alas.





-----



Mini-Reviews

The Magma Lake of Ninhursag
I may have mentioned this before, but it's a big lava lake with crystal trees connected by vine bridges with a massive dragon on an island in the middle of it.
Intended to be a difficult heist situation, but nobody's ever been daring enough to try. Also now POWERLAD is the leader of one of the five drakencults here, so it's all diplomacy!

A zany module which... woah holy shit this thing got withdrawn from sale?! I guess I'll link Bryce's review. I've got a collector's item apparently!
Man, anyway. This was originally a squishy oozey fungusey module, so I took the bones and made it a part of the city of Moondin where all the tentacles had grown up from the ground.
It's good, I injected a lot of my own game's lore in here. Mostly players go straight through to the dungeon, and then the dungeon below that, but they could conceivably really hunt around this place more if they wanted.
Anyway I like it and I'm sad it's been withdrawn from sale but HAPPY because YOU will never experience this GOODNESS.

This module has gone through so many changes man.
Originally it was a complex filled with the Mould Men and their Cleric leader who believed the Mould was a gift from God.
Then the players eliminated the Mould forever, and those who didn't leave remained in this complex getting high and wishing they could go back to the soft warm togetherness of Mould.
So it was a druggy complex for a while. This is what the players knew it as for a while.
Then they managed to get a crystal dragon to come in here, and so the place is now (unbenownst to, but probably suspected by, the players) full of sharp crystal minions and the scared remnants of the junkies.
How's the module itself? Real cool.

Kabuki Kaiser sent this to me aaaaages ago to review and ffiiiiiinnally the time has come for it to be triggered.
I put it on my Apocalypse Timeline sheet a few months in the future, assuming it'd come around soon, but it took a while!
Anyway, this is a wuxia oriental-themed module centred around a dragonboat racing festival, run by undead liches, with a mysterious conspiracy at the heart of it.
I changed it to a mysteriously oriental module centred around a dragonboat race of crystal boats on boiling magma, run by powerful demons who call themselves Flower Liches, with a mysterious conspiracy at the heart of it.
Basically I changed as little as I could get away with!
This has necessitated various alterations across the board, mostly minor, which I'll detail when the thing's over and I do an actual review.
Early takeaway - the Lich's houses are all self-contained dungeons which are individually cool, but the room descriptions are really hard to parse chunks of text where the room descriptions are embedded in the text and not even in order.
That's my only complaint so far!
Oh and the art is cool as fuck.